Indian Dance at Government House, Fredericton, New Brunswick

Sir John Campbell, son of New Brunswick’s lieutenant-governor, Sir Archibald Campbell, served as an aide-de-camp in Fredericton during his father’s tenure from 1831-1837. An amateur artist, Campbell recorded the annual gathering of the Maliseet at Government House in this watercolor. This tradition of inviting local Natives to government house began when Sir Howard Douglas served as New Brunswick’s lieutenant-governor from 1823-1831. During these gala events, the Maliseet wore ceremonial clothing and performed traditional dances. Government officials often offered to the Maliseet presents, such as guns, food, and metalwork to signify their wish for peaceful relations in the year to come.

Biographies

Considered to be the founder of the St. Mary’s First Nation, Gabriel Acquin travelled to England several times forming friendships with royalty, but continued to serve as a hunter, guide, and interpreter in New Brunswick.

Born into an influential family in 1798, Jared Tozer Jr. was a lumber contractor and public figure on the Miramichi. His father, Jared Tozer Sr., was a native of Connecticut, who had fought as a Patriot in the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) before being drawn to New Brunswick in 1789 by the economic opportunities of the new province.

Like all members of the Wabanaki Confederacy, Noel Bear inherited a vast hunting range, stretching from New Brunswick southward to Maine and westward to the St. Lawrence River. By the time of his death, his inheritance had shrunk to a few acres of land.